Pop The Question
by BassDS
Summary: Jaune is ready to make the next step in his and Ruby's relationship and ask her to become his wife, but before he can, he needs to clear the air with her father and ask Taiyang for his daughter's hand in marriage, and things between the two has never been the smoothest. Will things play out like Jaune hopes, or will his dream of marrying Ruby be dashed?
1. A Talk With Tai

Hey there, RWBY-Nation, BassDS here back with a new installment in my Lancaster series. So just like Confessions, this was another idea that I had swimming around in my head for some time that I wanted to give life to and expand my series a bit more. So for this story it takes place 5 years after the end of Confessions, so we're doing bit of a timeskip; and yes, while I feel like I shouldn't gloss over the five years that would add to the development of their relationship, I feel like that's something I can go back to later on down the road and confidently write about. As for now, I want to let the ideas I have for Ruby and Jaune's adult life play out and take shape first; it's nothing I haven't done before, especially in some of my past work.

But anyway, it's time to go ahead and get this next installment of my Lancaster series going, and if the story title WASN'T a big giveaway to what it's going to be going over, we're going to have a marriage proposal to deal with...at least in the next chapter, but there's something else to address first that we saw a hint of at the end of Confessions.

Hope you all enjoy, and feel free to leave a review and tell me how you liked the chapter.

* * *

Pop The Question

Ch.1 A Talk With Tai

* * *

"Let's see...got my license...Zwei's been fed and he's sleeping..." Yang ran over a few things in her mind as she was preparing to leave to go out for a while. As she shut the TV off, she prepared to head over to the door to leave until she heard a knock coming from it. "Bad timing to have a visitor." she huffed and looked out through the eye-hole to see a familiar mess of blonde hair

"Hey there, Jauney-boy." Yang said opening the door as her eyes laid upon her baby sister's boyfriend, Jaune Arc. "Got here a little bit early; Ruby doesn't come back from her mission until tomorrow."

"I didn't forget; I knew she'd be gone for a few days. I...actually came to talk to your dad." the young Arc replied to the brawler.

"Well, Dad's still at Signal; classes ended not long ago, but he always tends to stay behind to clean things up; his room gets really messy when he has the students test their weapons out. I know from personal experience." she replied before a thought came to her mind. "Wait a sec...why do you want to talk to him?"

Jaune anxiously fidgeted a bit as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I was hoping to...get his blessing to propose to Ruby..."

Yang smirked while propping herself up against the door frame. "About damn time you worked up the nerve; you guys have been dating for close to five years now."

Yang had been right. Jaune and Ruby had been a couple ever since Salem's machinations were brought to an end and Remnant was finally at peace. It was hard for Jaune to believe it had been that long since he and Ruby had confessed their feelings to one another. Jaune felt ready to take their relationship to the next step...he just hoped Ruby was ready to make that step with him.

"Mind if I stay around until he gets home?"

"If you don't mind being here by yourself. I was actually just getting ready to head out for a bit." Yang replied.

"Well, if it's alright with you..."

"Jaune, please, at this point, you're practically part of the family. Even IF you had to go through hell to have my dad be comfortable with you dating Ruby." Yang replied.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I still feel that kick to my jaw when he thought I stood Ruby up on one of our dates when my scroll wasn't working and I couldn't get a hold of her."

"Yeah, that was one hell of an ass-kicking you didn't deserve. It took everything I had to hold him back, at least until Ruby slapped some sense into him." Yang chuckled. "Anyway, come on in, make yourself at home." she added before grabbing the key to Bumblebee. "Just try to not piss him off."

"Please, I'm asking him for his permission to marry his daughter; how do you think he's going to react?"

"Valid point." Yang smiled.

* * *

Taiyang soon arrived home as he held a paper bag with a few things he picked up from the store, moving it to his other arm so he could grab his keys and unlock the door as he entered his home.

"Yang, I'm home! What you think you're in the mood for tonight?" he asked while he walked through the living room and into the kitchen, but instead of his daughter's voice, he heard another.

"Umm...hello."

Tai looked over as he saw Jaune sitting at the table with his fingers entwined as he kept his head down.

"Jaune, what are you doing here? Ruby won't be back until tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know. Yang said the same thing. She's out for a bit, by the way; she wanted me to tell you she'll be home later. Said it'd be fine for me to stay here."

"So..." Tai asked before putting the bag down and turning as he folded his arms and sat against the counter. "Why are you here?"

"I was wanting to talk to you...concerning Ruby."

"I'm listening." Tai calmly replied.

"Look, I know things have been kinda rough between us, to say the least. I know how much you care about Ruby and you're only looking out for her best interest; any dad would do the same for his daughter; believe me, I've got seven sisters, I know how my dad was with them and dating."

Tai sighed before pulling out one of the chairs and sitting down across from Jaune at the table. "Just cut to the chase, Jaune. What's this all about?"

"Ok..right well..." the blonde said as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Boy...this is really nerve-wracking..." he paused a bit before finally working up the courage to say it. "I...I was wanting to get your permission...to marry your daughter."

There. He said it. And if he was about to be slugged for saying it, he was prepared for it.

"Listen...I've been thinking about a few things this past year…." Tai began. "And I want to apologize."

"Uhh...what?"

"I'll admit...I've been pretty hard on you these past few years. I just wanted to protect my daughter. Ruby's my baby. To say I've been more than overly protective is bit of an understatement. Especially that day when I thought you stood her up; I let my anger cloud my judgment at the thought of someone hurting Ruby deeply. I guess it took that slap from her to finally get me to cool it and approach things with a level head."

"I would never intentionally do anything to hurt her, physically or emotionally."

"Yeah, I know that now. You know, I never had to worry about this stuff with Yang; she was always the wild child, and I knew she could take care of herself. Ruby on the other hand; well, she's always been obsessed with weapons, and wanting to fulfill her dream of being a huntress. I just figured she'd be so busy chasing that dream, being in a relationship would be something that was nonexistent to her."

"Well, there were a lot of things that happened that changed that for the both of us." Jaune added.

"I know. She told me everything about you and Pyrrha. And I can sympathize. When Yang's mom left us, needless to say, I was broken up inside. I loved her, and all of a sudden, here I am alone with this beautiful baby whose mother just upped and vanished in the middle of the night. My old team leader Summer took it upon herself to look after Yang, and in turn, helped pull me out of my slump. Next thing I know, I was falling in love again, and despite fearing that I still deeply loved Yang's mom, Summer was in love with me too. Eventually, we broke free of the fears we had about the situation, and let things take their course. Ruby was the result of that. After losing one love, I found another and everything...everything just seemed perfect; I thought nothing could go wrong. Then I lost Summer."

Jaune could only remain silent.

"I never want to see Ruby's heart broken the way mine was; I didn't want her to lose the one that she loved deeply. When you two started dating, that's when those fears developed, and I let it control me. I didn't want my daughter experiencing the pain I've felt. That's why I was so hesitant towards her being with you. But...I see now that with everything that happened five years ago, she'd already suffered enough when she lost her mother, along with Pyrrha and Penny."

"We all did..." Jaune solemnly said.

"Look, Jaune...as far as marrying Ruby goes, it's not my call. She's a grown woman that can make her own choices. And whatever she chooses, I'll stand by that. I just want you to do one thing." Tai added

"What is it?" he asked.

Tai reached out and gripped Jaune's hand tightly. "Stay by her side, as much as you can, if she takes a mission, you go with her. Protect her with your life; do you understand me? Do what I couldn't do and protect the one you love with all your heart."

"I promise. I'll follow her to the ends of Remnant if I have to."

"I'm going to hold you to that." Tai said as he rested back in the chair. "So...am I forgiven?"

"Sure thing, Dad..."

"Ehh…just Tai. I'm already feeling old enough as it is." the older blonde said.


	2. Toward The Future, Side By Side

Kept you waiting, huh?

Hey there, RWBY-nation; BassDS back after a good two months, bringing you all the 2nd and last chapter of this small story...which honestly should have been done a LOT sooner, but hey, stuff happens. But I do have an explanation for the delay.

So..this actually ties in with the creation of Confessions and Pop The Question. Now when I first wrote Confessions, I was in bit of a depressed and ticked-off mood; I was in the middle of a summer Let's Play marathon of the 2-D Genesis Sonic games, and I was on Knuckles Chaotix at the time. Unfortunately, since that game NEVER had a re-release, I had to use an emulator to play it, and the emulator didn't like saving game data for 32X games automatically; it had to be a walk-off-the-screen to manual save the game, and since I was showing off every character, that's what I was doing...until I realized I messed up and DIDN'T choose the Manual Save option, and therefore couldn't switch characters at all. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper with that at the time. I had to delete everything for that game I had uploaded at that point.

Now around this time, I had various Lancaster ideas swimming around in my head, but I had no motivation to write at the time. After the save data incident, I needed to vent somehow, so I said screw videos for a while, and as such, I ended up writing Confessions. Then when I posted the first chapter for Pop The Question, enough time had passed and I was ready to pick back up where I left off in the marathon...and as such, Chapter 2 didn't start to be written until two weeks ago, but work also got in the way of things too.

Since then, I've read the comments, asking if this was just a one-shot story; it was NEVER going to be that, I was going to make it a two-chapter story just like I did with Confessions. It's just my other passions got in the way of things. But I will say I was NOT slacking whatsoever, as I have been developing my own RWBY story canon, getting a few things planned out that I hope to expand on later.

But enough of my rambling; I kept you all waiting long enough, so without further ado, here's the conclusion to Pop The Question, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Viva La Lancaster!

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Pop The Question

Ch.2 Toward The Future, Side By Side

* * *

"Finally...I'm almost home. It's good to be back." Ruby exclaimed happily as she began to leave the docks. "Oh, Patch, how I've missed you."

Ruby had changed quite a bit over the past five years; her hair had grown out a bit, stopping a bit past her shoulders, she was now about the same height as Yang, if maybe a little bit taller, and her body had taken a more womanly form, a far contrast from how she looked during her time as a part of Team RNJR. Needless to say, puberty took its sweet time to start, but it clearly went into overdrive. But Ruby was far from the energy-filled and hyperactive teen she once was; she was now a woman, but despite developing a more serious nature, she did slip back into her old personality from time to time; namely when it came to weapons.

But when the situation called for it, Ruby knew when there was a time to be like a kid, and when she had to be an adult, especially when it came down to the fact that in addition to the power of her Silver Eyes, she was also the new Fall Maiden due in part to her final encounter with Cinder; something the Oscar-inhabiting Professor Ozpin showed some interest in; if need be, the Silver Eyes power could rival that of the Maidens, making it a perfect weapon to counteract with, but he did express some worry as this was the first case during his centuries of existing that the powers of a Maiden resided within a Silver Eyed Warrior. Naturally, it was certainly quite an anamoly. But Ruby showed no signs of it negatively affecting her body, and as such, she was given the proper training she needed to wield both her gifts, knowing she had a much greater responsibility, she had to look at life in a more mature sense from that moment on.

But around her family and friends, she could relish in knowing she could always act like her old self around them.

"Hey there, beautiful." called a familiar voice as she looked over to see Jaune leaned up against one of the metal streetlights near the entrance to the docks. With a smile, she ran towards him and hugged her boyfriend tightly.

"I've missed you." she said softly as she rested her head on his chest armor.

"I know you did. It's been lonely without you around." Jaune smiled, running his hand in her hair before pushing her back and kissing her forehead. "I hate not having my flower around."

"Whatever, dork knight." Ruby replied as she quickly peck his lips. "I hate not having your around either."

"Well..." Jaune said as they broke their embrace. "Maybe we should start taking on some missions together."

"Well...it WOULD kill the 'being lonely' part, but let's eat first, then talk; I'm starving. Airship food just doesn't do it for me."

"Yeah, well, I don't exactly do airships in general." Jaune replied.

"Believe me, I remember, Vomit Boy." Ruby smiled and grabbed hold of his arm as they went into town.

* * *

"Ahhh...I needed that." Ruby said rubbing her stomach as she leaned her body against Jaune's arm as they sat atop a rocky ledge overlooking Patch's lone town.

"Yeah, well, it cost me a good amount of Lien." he joked a bit. "But I understand; I've gone for a nice big meal whenever I get back from a mission before. Sometimes eating what you bring with you isn't enough, but it helps if you find a nice place along the way, or if the town you go to has a nice lodging that offers some good food." Jaune rested his head atop hers as they stared out as the lights began to turn on in town, the sun setting over the horizon while stars started to fill the night sky.

"So, anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Ruby asked while entwining her fingers with Jaune's.

"Well...turns out Blake is pregnant."

"Are you flipping serious?" Ruby said as she heard the words about one of her teammates escape his mouth.

"Yeah, Sun was all hyper when he called. Woke me up right in the dead of night. Granted, Blake called me in the morning to apologize after Weiss ended up getting called by him; so that ticked her off to no end; she had a big meeting in the morning, and him calling while she was try to sleep didn't sit well with her."

"I'll have to call Blake in the morning and congratulate her." she said. "That's going to be a big challenge for them."

"How my parents handled me and my seven sisters, I'll never know. But I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Well, I'd say they did a good job in raising you. Such a gentleman." Ruby said rising her head up to kiss his cheek. "So, what all did you do while I was gone?"

"Nothing much. Took a couple of local missions here in Patch to help out, and I actually looked into finding a place to live here on the island." Jaune stated.

"I'd like that a lot; it'd be so nice to not be far from each other. To be honest, the long distance thing is killing me." Ruby replied, getting up to her feet as she stretched. "You wanna crash with us tonight? Granted, I might have to try to smuggle you in if Dad's still awake. I seriously wish he'd just get used to you already. It's like our fight three years ago didn't knock any sense into him." she sulked, remembering the period where she and her dad were estranged for close to a year.

"I..." Jaune began to speak. "actually spoke with your dad today."

"You did what now?" Ruby asked, caught off guard by Jaune's admission.

"Let's just say he and I finally smoothed things out. There was something I was really needing to talk to him about." he finished as he rose up to dust his pants off. "Safe to say I can go to the house without an issue anymore."

"Yeah, forget going to the house; just what the hell did you two talk about?" Ruby questioned; she was a bit intrigued; usually her dad was always at Jaune's throat and granted he did seem to sort of mellow out after their estrangement, but hearing they actually had a coherent conversation...was startling and a bit uneasy.

"I told him I don't blame him...you know, for how he was always apprehensive around me, he was only looking out for you, like any father would for his daughter." Jaune said, turning to look towards the star-filled sky. "There was something I asked him, but he couldn't answer it for me; he said it was an answer only you could give me, Ruby."

Ruby could only stay silent, trying to make sense of the situation as Jaune turned back around and walked over to her, rising his hand up to gently cup her face as he looked lovingly into the silver eyes she bore.

"The idea of me going on missions with you, aren't just because I want to keep you company; it's because I'm scared to lose you, and not being there to save you. I would rather die beside you than have something happen to you alone. I lost Pyrrha because I wasn't with her, even though I know she did what she did to make sure I lived, but I'm not going to lose you, Ruby." Jaune said, his heartbeat racing as he poured out his emotions. "I want to spend every day with you, for as long as I live; for as long as you live..." he smiled softly, taking his hand into hers, slowly kneeling down until he was on one knee before her.

"J...Jaune..."

"And to make sure I'll always be by your side...I want you to be my wife..." Jaune added, moving his free hand to slide a small necklace off that held a small, silver ring as he held it out in the palm of his hand. "Ruby Rose...will you marry me?"

The words took a moment to sink into Ruby's mind; kneeling before her was the man that used to be her best friend, who then became her boyfriend, and now, he was asking her to become his wife, so he could become her husband.

Ruby shook a bit, closing her silver eyes and dropped down to her knees as tears ran down her face before she built up the courage to look him in his eyes before she placed her hand against the side of his face, caressing it softly and moved in to kiss him passionately, his arms holding her close as he returned her kiss as they remained that way for a good couple of seconds before breaking away, their lips still lingering on one another's as they proceed to try and get some air.

"I...take that...as a yes?" Jaune asked.

"What do you...think...Vomit Boy..." she smiled softly before forcing her lips on his again, the two of them falling back into the grass.

* * *

Later that night at the Xiao Long household, long after everyone went to bed, Jaune and Ruby had occupied the TV to watch some movies; granted a little celebrating was in order when they got home, courtesy of Yang, ecstatic that her baby sister was actually engaged, although it was bittersweet for Tai; seeing as his baby girl was finally leaving the nest and going on to live her own life, but he knew Jaune would look out for her, as they had agreed on during their conversation earlier in the day.

Ruby rested against Jaune on the couch, with Zwei curled up in her lap, a small grin on Jaune's face as he watched the woman he loved sleep soundly. Being careful not to wake her, Jaune carefully slid off the couch, granted this motion did wake Zwei up as the corgi yawned a bit while Jaune threw a cover over the both of them.

"Watch her for me for a bit, okay, boy?" Jaune asked Zwei as he pet his head and scratched his neck a bit before he put his head down and went back to sleep.

Jaune slid his shoes on and tossed his hoodie on as he headed out the door as quietly as possible, closing it gently before making his way through the small woods behind the house, coming to a small hill and ascending to the top of it, walking over to the edge of the small cliff as he stood before a memorial he had only seen once before, his eyes reading the inscription.

 _Summer Rose_

 _Thus Kindly I Scatter_

"Hi there...I know we've never really met, granted I was up here with Ruby when she said goodbye to you when we left for Mistral all those years ago..." he began to speak up. "I'm Jaune Arc. I figured it would only be right that we properly met...well, as properly as we can at this point, since we're, you know, kinda going to be family and all soon."

Silence filled the air.

"By that...I mean, I'm marrying your daughter, Ruby. Granted I've had to go through hell with her dad and everything; maybe I would have had an easier time with him if you were around." he joked softly before composing himself. "I love your daughter...she's everything to me; helped me out in so many ways...especially after I lost someone close to me. Just like how you helped her father and Yang. Like mother, like daughter, they say."

Still, silence.

"I promise I'll do everything I can to watch over and protect her. I'll stand by her side for as long as we live, no matter how bumpy life gets. My family has a saying among the males; 'An Arc never goes back on his word.' and I intend to follow through with that. I'll keep Ruby safe, even if it costs me my life. Love does that to a person, because I had someone do the same for me once."

Jaune knelt down and placed his hand against the memorial.

"You know, Summer. I really wish I had the chance to meet you. I wonder what you'd think of me. I just hope you approve of me being with Ruby. I know she was your baby. And I just want you to know she's in good hands."

Jaune rose up and started to head back down towards the house, the wind blowing in his face as he took his scroll out and went to the video function and played the video of Pyrrha that was saved on it, promptly fast-forwarding it to the end.

" _Jaune...I...I...I want you to know that I am happy to be a part of of your live. I'll always be here for you, Jaune."_

"I'm happy I was a part of your life too, Pyrrha. I'll never forget everything you ever did, or all the times we shared together. Thank you...for everything."

His finger slowly traced the video down into a small image as he pressed the X hovering over the upper right corner; a **DO YOU WANT TO DELETE THIS VIDEO? Y/N** prompt popping up. His finger hovered over the Y for a moment before selecting it, deleting the video from his scroll's memory.

Finally he had made peace with himself over not being able to build a life with Pyrrha, but he knew she wouldn't want him dwelling on the past and not moving forward on her account.

And now, he wouldn't be alone as he made those steps forward. Ruby would be by his side as they made that journey together.


End file.
